Understanding Cannabis Testing: A Guide to Cannabinoids and Terpenes

As the medical and recreational cannabis markets continue their steady climb toward legitimacy, the demand for lab-tested products climbs alongside it. Cannabis testing is the scientific process of measuring different chemicals and compounds in the product. They can measure beneficial constituents like cannabinoids and terpenes, or not-so-desirable contaminants such as pesticides, mold, and residual solvents. Research is now showing that strains exhibit different compound profiles, unique “fingerprints” built by a specific composition of cannabinoids and terpenes.

Leafly has teamed up with Steep Hill Halent to bring you these Strain Fingerprints, which help to show how each strain is, to an extent, a special snowflake. Looking at these graphics, you may recognize some chemical compounds like THC and CBD, but many people are not sure what other cannabinoids and terpenes are or how they can affect you. Fear not, curious consumers: this guide to Steep Hill’s Strain Fingerprints will walk you through it.

Cannabinoids

THC (∆9-Tetrahydrocannabinol)

Strongly psychoactive (induces a euphoric high)

Most cannabis strains are bred to contain a high THC content while other cannabinoids occur only in trace amounts